Thanks for contributing! Really, it was a pleasure! (Boulet time his post maybe?)Exactly! Despite anything I've said about the graphics, I know I'm going to love this game. I though the first NG had terrible art design and an asinine story, but it's still *one of my favourite games ever.* Just as Grift also said that good visuals and good gameplay aren't mutually exlusive, so aren't liking a game and thinking it could use improvement.I still find the first NG's combat to be the best of any action game I've played. It's so fast, fluid, and organic feeling. Clearing a room full of guys without getting touched is both satisfying to do and cool as fuck to watch.

My most wanted game for sure. I can't wait to play it. I started to train my ninja "skills" again with the mission mode :D Evil Ryu battles are the best in the game. Especially that one against 2 of them :D

Definitely...and yes "lol" at them :P

And then God of War 3 in 2009!

NG > GoW >>> DMC.

:)

Let's troll...

You realise that not everyone who's down on the graphics is necessarily "trolling" though, right?Fuck yeah! That's one of the reasons I love the game(the first one anyways) so much. It never felt like a typical melee action game that involves the same 3 combos over and over again. Fighting from guy to guy while chaining with ninja stars and countering to get huge combos is so strategic and satisfying.

Let's not :)

Ronsauce, well it sometimes felt you were doing the same thing over and over again, but in NG2 I hope it changed a bit.

Considering the attacks looks to be much more impactful with the whole finishers, limbs flying, blood splatters...etc. it just now looks that each kill you do it feels you have done a great job by not dying.

I'm not saying that any given attack or combo doesn't repeat itself...numerous times at that, but depending on how you play it, it can seem extremely varied. I just don't necessarily agree with the post that you had actually replied to about how all you do is block, roll, and izuna drop. As far as combat feeling varied, NG does it best in my opinion.

Ninja Gaiden:
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5295/24...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5295/24...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/212/243...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/212/243...

Ninja Gaiden Sigma:
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5447/11...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5290/11...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5279/11...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/5279/11...

Ninja Gaiden 2:
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/7263/90...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/7250/90...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/6291/90...
http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/7466/90...




Here's a few comparison shots.
As any reasonable person can see, the jump from Ninja Gaiden to Ninja Gaiden 2 is huge.

As for Sigma vs 2...... it's very easy to see how 2 is much more detailed. However, Sigma has a very soft color palate which makes it a bit easier on the eyes when compared to 2's lack of any color filters at all (what I would call "hard colors").


However, sheer detail easily brings 2 out on top.
It has more detailed...... everything: models, blood, environments, etc.
Combine that with nice features such as more enemies on screen (as well as bigger enemies), varied attacks, pooling blood and body parts, and rumored interactivity with the levels...... and the winner is clear.

Was anyone doubting that NG2 would look better than NG or NG:S though?

The interactivity with the levels isn't rumored either. Past videos have shown things like destructible fruit stands and what not.

I agree 100%, I still love NG but the others take the cake for me (Haven't got HS yet). I agree with what someone on another message board said: "NG is like a lesson in how to make an excellent fighting engine, which then had a game built loosely around it"

To me GoW>DMC>NG I just have more fun with the former than the latter, despite the fantastic fighting engine.

Oh and the graphics are dissappointing considering it was one of the few areas that NG beat DMC and GoW (although they were on a weaker platform so...).

Still I have no doubt it will be agood game, I just think they could have done so much more with it which they don't seem to be doing.

I know people say NG Sigma looks like NG HD...bullshit people (alot of people, so don't get offenced here).

NG Sigma looks great and have alot of next gen features that NG doesn't.

But NG Sigma and NG2 is pretty much the same...but I think with small details and there that makes them different.

I just want the freaking game...and to be honest....much more than NG, because I am a NG fanatic to death, no matter what!

But in the end, GOW, DMC and NG...is all equals, they play differently and the art are different enough to seperate them.

If I want ancient myth greek and a guy who is just wild a beast I go with God of War.

If I want modern, fantasy with some stylish looks and all...DMC

If I want oriental, fantasy, modern...I go with NG.

To everyone complaining about graphics... Ever heard of a little thing called artstyle?

Team Ninja's Artstyle has always involved subtle scenery and very clean character models.

@Wiggins

So you've played the final build of this game? Don't judge a game graphically when it hasn't even finished going through polishing and bug fixing.

Graphically it won't change much with the retail. Itagaki is a gameplay dude, he wants to sharpen those edges of bugs...etc. as much as he can so it becomes one of his best titles.

I know he kept saying he much the first title had so much issues that he was not happy with.

There is no way he is ognna make a second misstake...well atleast I think he is gonna do his best.

And yes, the graphic art that Team Ninja is going for NG is that clean look, and so far, lit looks clean...but with tons of gore :D

Art style is such a cop out excuse. The cutscenes in the first NG were the same art style as the gameplay, but they looked infinitely better. Better textures, lighting, and atmospheric effects wouldn't compromise the style one bit.Why aren't you jumping on anyone who's judging the game favourably from a graphical standpoint? Even more so, why don't you mention the people that are saying that this game is going to have great gameplay? I doubt any of them have played the final build. Hell, Wiggins didn't even say the graphics looked bad; he said they looked nice as a matter of fact. It just so happens that from what he's seen, they don't meet his expectations.

The videos kick so much ass it's unbelievable - and the game is yet to be polished. It'll be great.
Visuals are nothing to write home about, but they're still better than that of DMC4 - which is not a huge feat by itself mind you. Still, when you combine these ok-ish wisuals with great animations and flying limbs you get quite a spectacle.

Uhh, hardly. DMC 4 for me seemed more and more of the same, you always do the same stuff over and over again (you'll usually grab the enemy with your arm in order to do a long combo). In NGB I usually had the feeling that every encounter is diffrent to the others, you also could start a lot of diffrent combos and the gameplay wasn't staggering at all in between switching the enemy (wich I find DMC 4 is).

With NG2 and added stuff like the execution move it'll add even more variety and diffrent layers of gameplay.

You do understand that one thing that holds Japanese game developers from Western developers is the mere fact that they will hold the same artstyle no matter what game they make. Final Fantasy, Tekken, Soul Caliber, Ninja Gaiden, Dead Or Alive and so on have made leaps in graphics while holding onto their artstyle.

Team Ninja has always used plastic looking skin and very clean models while introducing elements such as gore to add the the beauty of the artstyle. Its the combination of subtle scenery, clean models and exaggerated blood that makes this game its own unique art. Artstyle is a huge part of gaming development and I feel sad that all you think of it is a "cop out excuse".

Wiggens said that the game looks no better then Sigma.

EDIT-
I can't believe people are actually comparing this game to DMC4? While were on the same subject since were going to complain about NG2 having empty of life environments what about DMC4? During the demo I saw no signs of life.

Not to mention the camera on DMC4 is way back while NG2's camera is up close.

Some people talked about the story and boring personalities.
First of all,

1.Ninja Gaiden never claimed to have or to need a compelling story.

2. Itagaki always stated that he puts more effort in displaying the enemy rather than the main character. That´s his primary goal in terms of story development. For him that´s more important than showing how cool the main character speaks and behaves, or how he gone through a lot of dramatic events etc.

That´s pretty much all I have in mind about this aspects

That´s not a try to protect Itagaki, actually I don´t like him as a person with his arrogant & self-important behavior, but I have to admit that at least he´s a decent producer.

Personally, I played also GoW and it´s an absolutly fantastic game!!!

Unfortunately I never played DMC. To be honest, I´m not curious about this game at all. It looks very onesided, not much respond from the enemies, they look like wandering targets and the totally exaggerated coolness is fucking ridiculous. Anyway, I will buy it though since it comes for the 360 too and
was praised as a quite good franchise.

Putting DMC aside, GoW, except for the unique story, wasn´t as enjoyable as NG in every sense. I played and beat GoW on every difficulty setting, but that´s it. After that I never touched it again.
Although playing and beating NG/NGB on every dificulty setting as well, I still play it today sometimes, because it´s simply pure pleasure even 4 years after it´s release. This game still keeps me from getting bored like no other game. Moreover it distinguishs itself due to a balance of challenge & reward, which I couldn´t find in many other games. Finally the sense of accomplishment by mastering the super responsive and intuitive controls is simply unmatched.

So, talking about an overall great experiance, including a good story, great graphics, nice presentation, good balance, artistic aspects etc, NG is among the best of all genres. No, it hadn´t a compelling story, it pretty much didn´t exist, and no, it hadn´t a special art design, but it had something which has always been and always will be the essence of a successful game. "EXCEPTIONAL GAMEPLAY!!!

Based on that and knowing that TM stands for perfection, it might not be that absurd to say that they are even able to top this.

All 3 games have their right to exist in their own special way. Though NG might be able to set the bar again. This time definitely not in terms of graphics, but maybe in how the word action in a "action game" should be realised.

Ok now I blabbered enough

Nice effort immortal daemon, but this comparison might be a bit better

This comp. really shows how fucking awesome the original NG was. It still looks good next to sigma. that really shows how hard they pushed the xbox to its limit.
i have to correct myself, the pics are from NGB

http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20ayane1_42f....
http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20ayane2_17b....

http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20look%20up1_...
http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20look%20up2_...

http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20murai12_e73...
http://img.7pics.info/ninja%20gaiden%20murai22_dab...

TM already produced DOA 4 & DOAX and now they working on their third title for a next gen console, I doubt that they can improve their graphics considerably. If they could have do so, they would have done it already on DOA4. Ok, maybe some improvements in terms of lightning, but their art style is just too steril and plastic. I never liked their art style, but once again, they´re very talented in implementing enjoyable gameplay features.

two new screens

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/...

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/...

click to enlarge

That's just it; the visuals in NG2 simply aren't as big of a leap as a lot of people were hoping for. And by the way, what you've said in this quote doesn't disprove anything I've said; leaps in graphics are attainable without sacrificing art style. Worded differently: not improving visuals because of a fear that art style will be sacrificed is a cop out.Using art style as a reason to have weak textures and poor lighting is a huge cop out. NG2 looks like it is literally devoid of any atmosphere. Once again, the cinemas in NG had plenty and looked great while maintaining the same art style. I doubt people were expecting that level of visuals, but a lot were expecting a few steps closer than what we've been seeing.

Weak textures? Poor lighting? Please bust out Photoshop and show me where these exists cause I don't see them. What the hell do you want? Freaking bloom everywhere like every UE3 game?

I'm blown away by the visuals. Especially in this screen. http://images.gamersyde.com/gallery/public/6291/90...

Two new images:
http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/...

http://xbox360media.ign.com/xbox360/image/article/...

And New Video:

http://media.xbox360.gamespy.com/media/686/686645/...

No one can deny the game doesnt look at good as Sigma, it doesnt even support 1080p.

Wrong in both cases.